For the last few months we’ve been sifting through publications and journals of the Lancashire Cotton Famine period, as part of a project to archive, preserve, and rehabilitate the poetry of this distressing chapter of working-class history. Based at the University of Exeter, it’s being led by our friend Simon Rennie, who has been feeding us potential material for musical setting. We’re delighted to announce that the first of our tracks, Cotton Lords, is now available to listen to at http://cottonfaminepoetry.exeter.ac.uk/
We have more tracks in the offing, which will be released in stages – we’ll keep you updated.
Faustus

We’re delighted and honoured to have recieved a Best Album of 2017 award from the German Record Critics panel – Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik. This means a lot to us – not only was it was voted by a transparent panel of experts, but winners in other categories included Kate Tempest, Ennio Morricone and the Rolling Stones! It will certainly stand us in good stead when we make our maiden trip to Germany in September.

Our new EP ‘Slaves’ has been released on Westpark. This features the title track (taken from Death and Other Animals), a live version of the same, plus a live version of Thresherman, the radio edit of One More Day, and a waltz set hitherto unreleased in any form. We’ll be performing some of these tracks live on Tom Robinson’s BBC 6 Music show on Saturday 25th February.

Having just returned from a highly successful tour with The Transports (Guardian 5*****) we are looking ahead to our April tour, which includes a long-overdue return to London’s Slaughtered Lamb, and a burst in the sun at Costa Del Folk in Ibiza. Sun lotion at the ready, gentlemen….

Faustus are delighted to announce a year-long collaborative association with Halsway Manor, the national centre for folk arts, throughout 2016.

Arts Council England have announced funding to support the project which creates a unique partnership between Halsway Manor and Faustus, centred around the development of new arrangements of rare traditional English folk music; to be shared through workshops, two national tours and the recording of Faustus’s third album. The project combines the musical expertise of Faustus with the professional resources of Halsway Manor, including their extensive folk library and archive. Continue reading →

Everyone knows that the life of a musician is one long busman’s holiday – that the contracts, invoices, accounts, tax returns, copyright, logistics, travel, accommodation, technical equipment, instrument maintainance, stock, merchandising, advertising, PR, websites, social media, mailing lists, photoshoots, not to say sourcing material, arrangements, individual practice, rehearsals, recordings, soundchecks and actual gigs are mere child’s play, piffling inconsequential trivia eclipsed by a continuous orgy of musical and extra-curricular self-indulgence. For surely that is what it is, as we are doing ‘what we enjoy’. Continue reading →

Only a week to go, and we’re counting down here at Team Faustus. Getting ourselves match-fit, our preparations rival that of any Olympians – we’re honing bodies and minds to a state of musical tautness, ready to spring like rats out of a trap. Over the course of the next few weeks we’ll be giving you in-depth, unique, fly-on-the-wall, birds’-eye glimpses into our planning and pre-tour production, via our Facebook page – daily updates on https://www.facebook.com/faustusmusic

The merry month of March sees our virgin voyage to the Isle of Man, first foray to the Burgess Hill Fairtrade Festival, and premiere performances at a host of other lovely venues across the country, as well as repeat peregrinations to prestigious points nationwide.

We can’t wait to roll our wheels onto the tarmac and set our destination for a town NEAR YOU – so hop along along and put a spring into your March!